Contents

Man has made it to the stars. Now he must fight to stay there. Human soldiers fight the implacable alien Kafers. Police fight smugglers, pirates and terrorists on rich human colonies. Explorers fight uncharted systems on the Frontier. Colonists fight hostile environments on strange worlds. And nations fight each other for political power to determine who will lead the human race in the struggle to tame the universe. You can be part of this new game in 2300AD - the state-of-the-art in science-fiction role playing.

2300 AD plays against a background of Earth and its colonies 300 years after the cataclysm of the World War III - The Twilight War. Set in a world where nations still clash, civilisation has crawled back to its pre-war levels, and then beyond. The world is dominated by the Third French Empire, which maintains a shaky peace among its jealous rivals. Earth's hundred nations have colonies among the stars. First contact happened long ago, and commerce with aliens is now commonplace.

Civilisation has flowered to a point undreamed of earlier, but worms are at the blossom's core. One alien race, the Kafers, is bent on eradicating humanity. Anarchists labour to bring Earth's rule crashing down. Smugglers transport alien products to other worlds, thoughtless of ecological effects. Pirates prey on merchant and colonisation vessels.

Much work remains to be done if humanity is to establish itself among the stars and explore deeper into the galaxy.

The Near Star Catalog
The 2300 AD universe deals with star systems within 50 light years of Earth. Extensive research and analysis has produced the most accurate star map ever made. More than 700 stars in over 500 systems, on a 22" x 25" colour map. Location, special type, size and magnitude are documented in a separate star catalogue.

Game Systems
Playable realism. Many games which are realistic cannot be played; most playable systems aren't terribly realistic. 2300 AD is both at once, balancing detail with simple, accurate game systems. It is an update of the rules published in Traveller: 2300, which were still largely experimental.

The heart of 2300 AD is its task resolution system. Rules covers all aspects of conflict resolution, from creating new scientific equipment to flying starships to running group combat. Clean but detailed rules also cover player character generation and experience, starship operations and combat, star system and world generation, and non-player character skills and motivations (including six different alien races), making 2300 AD the state-of-the-art in science-fiction role playing.